Ortolan
Homebrew Reference Book: New Republic Campaign Guide Ortolans are solidly built, squat humanoids from the frigid world of Orto. Food is the most important part of an Ortolan's life because it is so scarce on their world. To survive the harsh conditions of their homeworld, Ortolans rely on a heavy layer of blubber (Insulation from the cold and an energy supply in times when food becomes scarce) and highly developed senses of smell and hearing that allow them to find food or track prey over large distances. They are almost manic about always having food in their stomach and gorge themselves at every opportunity. Orto is a world rich in minerals and the Ortolans, while not technologically advanced by galactic standards, are very efficient miners. The Ortolan economy is barter-based, so manufacturing companies that can bring the most food or highly exotic imported foods to Orto can receive low-cost raw materials. During the Rebellion era, the Ortolans were more or less left alone by the Empire, although the Empire did impose regulations limiting their ability to travel from their homeworld. As long as the Ortolans traded their ore to the "Right" manufacturers (Like TaggeCo and SoroSuub), the Empire remained indifferent to the little humanoids. The Ortolans traded with both the Alliance and the Empire during that time, and the Galactic Civil War filled many bellies on Orto. Ortolans also take great joy in music of all sorts, as their highly developed sense of hearing can pick up sounds that few other beings can hear, making every live performance or different recording of even the most familiar tunes a new experience for an Ortolan. Ortolan Characteristics Personality: Ortolans are generally happy if they are well feed. Because of this, many beings consider Ortolans dimwitted as they are often willing to work for nothing more than a meal. However, more than one high-ranking Imperial officer or snobbish noble have found valuable military secrets or art objects missing after a "Stupid" Ortolan musician and their band played for nothing but a meal at their bail. Physical Description: Ortolans have floppy ears, beady black eyes, long trunklike noses, and small mouths. Each hand ends in four stubby fingers tipped with suction pads, and their short legs have poorly articulated joints that cause them to waddle when they walk. A thick, baggy hide covered with short, velvetlike blue fur hangs off their chubby bodies. Ortolan adults stand between 1.1 and 1.7 meters tall. Age Groups: Ortolans age at the following stages: Homeworld: Orto, a frozen wasteland located in The Outer Rim. The planet has a short and unpredictable growing season, and famines are common. Languages: Ortolans speak their own language, the spoken form of which consists of grunts, hoots, and words comprised of one hard and one soft syllable. Ortolans also speak Basic with ease. Example Names: Bedo, Eembek, Miebar, Nabkess, Ooben, Rebo, Ruznee, Yddc. Adventurers: Ortolans are quite happy to leave their homeworld when the opportunity presents itself. Ortolan adventurers gravitate toward the Scoundrel and Noble Classes, although other careers can be just as likely. Ortolan Species Traits Ortolans share the following Species Traits: * Ability Modifiers: '''All Ortolans receive a +2 bonus to their Constitution, but suffer a -2 penalty to their Dexterity. Ortolans are solid and steady, but are physically slow and lack nimbleness. * '''Small Size: As Small creatures, Ortolans gain a +1 size bonus to their Reflex Defense and a +5 size bonus on Stealth checks. However, their lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of Medium characters. * Speed: Ortolans have a base speed of 4 squares. * Scent: Ortolans have a keen sense of smell. At close range (Within 10 squares), Ortolans ignore Concealment and Cover for purposes of Perception checks, and take no penalty from poor visibility while Tracking. * Intestinal Fortitude: Ortolans receive a +5 Species bonus to their Fortitude Defense against Ingested Poisons. * Conditional Bonus Feat: Ortolans have a knack for finding food. An Ortolan with Survival as a Trained Skill gains Skill Focus (Survival) as a bonus Feat. * Automatic Languages: All Ortolans can speak, read, and write both Basic and Ortolan. Category:Homebrew Content Category:Species Category:Ortolans